In this era when people are more dependent than ever on online communications to conduct their businesses and for children to take remote learning classes, it’s easy to forget that some residents of outlying areas still don’t have Internet service at all. The cost-per-mile of laying cable militated against extensions to the remotest ends of some roads when rural neighborhoods were first wired in the 1980s and 1990s. Some areas still haven’t caught up with the rest of the plugged-in world.
With the Covid-19 pandemic making Internet access an essential service, that’s about to change for six underserved families in the Town of Gardiner. At its November 10 meeting, the town board authorized cable provider Charter Communications to construct cable lines to three residences on Clove Road, two on Windsor Drive and one on Phillies Bridge Road. The work “could take from nine months to a year,” according to town supervisor Marybeth Majestic.
The cost of the project, estimated at about $58,400, will be funded by annual franchise fees paid by Charter Communications to the town. Majestic said that about $300,000 had accumulated in a dedicated account held by the town since the cable provider was awarded a contract under the administration of the late Marion Kells, who served one term as supervisor beginning in 1993.
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